- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether SQW Economic Development Consultants offset the cost of negative coverage of Scotland against their estimate of the cost of positive coverage of Scotland in relation to Gleneagles hosting the 2005 G8 Summit, which they translated into an advertising equivalent value of £66.4 million between 2 and 11 July 2005 and £618 million in the wider six-month period in the lead up to the summit, as set out in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles.
Answer
The industry standard methodology was employed independently by TNS Media Intelligence. First, the coverage was evaluated to give the total advertising value equivalent. Second, the tone was assessed to give an indication of positive, negative and neutral coverage.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to it was of commissioning SQW Economic Development Consultants to investigate the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles.
Answer
The cost of commissioning the investigation of the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 Summit as contracted through the Scottish Executive was £70,866 including VAT. The cost was shared by the Executive and Scottish Enterprise. The Scottish Executive share was £38,294.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that there is any veracity in the statement by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report, Economic Impact of Hosting the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles, that “the profile that the Summit has generated for Scotland and the potential economic activity that this might lead to in the future is the real value of this investment”.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21831 on 24 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how the profile provided for Scotland as a result of the “unprecedented media coverage” between 2 and 11 July 2005 as a result of the G8 summit provides a platform to secure greater economic opportunity in the future across many areas, as stated by SQW Economic Development Consultants in their report on the economic impact of hosting the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles, and to what areas the report specifically refers.
Answer
Chapter 10 of the report, produced by independent consultants SQW, discusses the potential legacy effects of hosting the summit. These fall within five specific areas: business tourism, leisure tourism, inward investment, export performance and talent attraction. The report can be found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/G8Econ.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a breakdown of the salary/employment costs for 2003-04 and 2004-05 referred to in Table 2 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report.
Answer
A breakdown of the salary costs referred to in table 2 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standard Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report are as follows:
| | 2003-04 Acting Commissioner (£) | 2003-04 Commissioner (£) | Total 2003-04 (£) | 2004-05 Commissioner |
| Salary | 4,823 | 36,500 | 41,323 | 43,435* |
| ERNIC | 376 | 3,138 | 3,514 | 3,987 |
| Pension | | 6,752 | 6,752 | 8,035 |
| Total | 5,199 | 46,390 | 51,589 | 55,457 |
Note: *For two months of 2004-05 the commissioner was paid at the full-time rate rather than the usual half-time rate due to an increase in workload.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached a decision on whether to suspend the additional council tax payments being made by residents of Abbeyfield and other such homes resulting from the decision by the Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire valuation boards to designate each resident’s space as being liable for full payment.
Answer
We are currently considering the way forward and will make an announcement in due course. In the meantime, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities to ensure that individuals living in these homes are receiving the benefits and exemptions they are entitled to.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the outcome of its review into a loophole in the law which allows valuation boards to designate each resident’s living space in Abbeyfield and other such homes as being liable for payment of full council tax.
Answer
We are currently considering the way forward and will make an announcement in due course. In the meantime, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities to ensure that individuals living in these homes are receiving the benefits and exemptions they are entitled to.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a breakdown and description of the services performed in 2003-04 but charged to the accounts for 2004-05, as referred to in paragraph 63 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report.
Answer
As advised by the commissioner, the breakdown and description of the services performed in 2003-04 but charged to the accounts for 2004-05 are as follows:
| Services | Company | Invoice Date | Invoice Received | Period | Amount |
| Legal Advice | Simpson and Marwick | 18/02/2004 | 20/01/2005 | October 2003 to January 2004 | £2,245.43 |
| Legal Advice | Simpson and Marwick | 14/01/2005 | 20/01/2005 | 22/01/2004 to 21/12/2004 | £450 |
| Legal Advice | Anderson Strathern | 05/11/2004 | 17/11/2004 | 01/01/2004 to 30/09/2004 | £437 |
| Legal Advice | Anderson Strathern | 05/11/2004 | 17/11/2004 | 2/10/2003 to 30/09/2004 | £950 |
| Total | | | | | £4,082.43 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many firms took part in any tendering process for the provision of legal services to the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
Answer
The commissioner has undertaken two competitive tendering exercises for the provision of legal services, one in 2003 and the other in 2005. On both occasions, the commissioner has invited six firms, from Edinburgh and Glasgow to tender for the provision of legal advice and support. On each occasion three firms have entered the tendering process and have been invited to make presentations to the commissioner. Their written bids and presentations have been judged against explicit criteria set by the commissioner and contained in the tendering documents.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of students in secondary schools and in post-secondary institutions are enrolled in science and engineering courses; what the trends have been in such enrolments in recent years, and what specific measures are being considered to increase the proportion of these enrolments.
Answer
Information on entrants to National Qualifications science courses in Scottish secondary schools from 2000 to 2005 (figures for 2005 are pre-appeal); enrolments in science and engineering courses at Scottish colleges from 1999-2000 to 2003-04 and entrants to science and engineering courses at Scottish higher education institutions (HEI) from 1999-2000 to 2003-04 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 38613 and 38614). These are the latest available figures held by the Scottish Executive for each sector.
The general trends over the periods indicated are that entries to National Qualifications courses in secondary schools has declined slightly at higher level in some subjects but increased at Intermediate 2; enrolments in science and engineering courses at colleges has slightly declined and Scottish entrants to science and engineering courses at HEIs has slightly increased. However, the variations are so small that there needs to be caution over drawing general conclusions from the figures.
The Scottish Executive’s Science Strategy commits the Executive to ensuring that enough people study science to a standard which will enable Scotland’s future needs to be met. There is no reliable information available at present to suggest that this aim is not being met but the Executive is working with FutureSkills Scotland to develop a more informed analysis of the supply and demand for scientists in the economy. The Executive’s policy is to ensure that pupils, students and parents are provided with high quality information to enable them to make informed career choices rather than to attempt to control the uptake of particular subjects.
